Are there Effective Ultrasound Parameters in the Management of Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy? A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Objective: Lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) is a common clinical condition, and a wide array of physiotherapy treatments is used for treating LET. One of the most common physiotherapy modality is the ultrasound. Ultrasound is a dose response modality. The aim of the present article was to determine the effective ultrasound parameters in the management of (LET) and to provide recommendations based on this evidence. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) identified by a search strategy in six databases were used in combination with reference checking. RCTs that included positive effects with ultrasound, description of ultrasound parameters in details, patients with LET, and at least one of the clinically relevant outcome measure were selected. The Pedro scale was used to analyse the results. Results: None RCTs fulfilled the criteria and therefore all the conducted trials were excluded in the review. Conclusions: Recommendations for the ultrasound parameters in the management of LET were based on animal studies and on studies in conditions similar to LET in clinical behavior and histopathological appearance. Further research with well-designed RCTs is needed to establish the absolute and relative effectiveness of this intervention with the recommended parameters for LET